Frame for beds for small animals



Oct. 31, 1961 J. D. MQCRORY FRAME FOR BEDS FOR SMALL ANIMALS Filed Sept. .17, 1959 RNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,006,319 Patented Oct. 31, 1961 3,006,319 FRAME FOR BEDS FOR SMALL ANIMALS Joseph D. McCrory, 516 Regina Drive, Burlington, Ontario, Canada Filed Sept. 17, 1959, Ser- No. 840,686 2 Claims. (Cl. 119-1) This invention relates to bed frames, and more specifioally to a collapsible type bed frame suitable for small animals.

Sleeping quarters for household pets generally consist of a box or basket of suitable dimensions, having a mattress in the bottom, and a material lining around the sides. Such beds or sleeping areas are often heavy and space consuming, and cannot readily be stored or used for travelling. There is a need for a simple light weight collapsible type bed which may be easily transported or stored when not in use. Such a bed would be exceedingly valuable to pet owners who wish to take their pets with them while travelling. A bed of this class would also be of value to those who wish to store it away out of sight when not in use.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a light weight collapsible bed for small animals which may be readily transported or stored when not in use.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a collapsible bed of the above class which has automatically contracting legs operative on folding the sides of the bed.

It is another object of the invention to provide a collapsible bed of the above class which is provided with draught curtains that are partly supported by a rod having a second purpose of stabilizing the erected bed.

It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a collapsible bed of the above class which may be folded without removing the mattress.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a collapsible bed of the above class which is of simple construction and economical to manufacture.

The invention consists of a rectangular wire framework forming a base for a mattress. Two side walls, having legs formed in the lower portion thereof are hingedly secured to wire rods which form part of the base frame, such that when erected, the side walls project vertically above each end of the frame. A strut is slidingly received on the rear upright post of each side wall and is engaged at the top of each post to prevent the side walls from rotating about their hinged joints, and to provide a rail on which a draught curtain is hung forming the rear wall of the bed.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bed erected for sleeping, with draught curtain partly shown, and a mattress indicated in broken lines.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing part of the bed frame collapsed for storage or transportation, and further showing the sliding strut in its lowest position to permit folding of the side walls.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation showing the detail of a front leg when in erected position.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation showing the detail of a front leg when folded for storage.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of one end of the sliding strut showing a method of attachment to the end walls of the bed.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several view in the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral is the mattress frame which forms the base of the bed. The

frame is preferably rectangular in shape and consists of horizontally disposed parallel wires 11 positioned across the width of the frame, and further parallel Wires 12 disposed normally to wires 11 and positioned across the length of the frame. The ends of wires 11 and 12 are spot welded or otherwise secured to a surrounding wire forming ends 13 and side edges 14.

Two side walls 15 are formed by horizontally disposed rails 16 equal in length to the width of the base, and disposed in parallel relationship therewith. The ends of rails 16 project downwardly to form vertical members 17. The lower ends of the members 17 pass through the base frame at each corner and curve inwardly through as shown at 18. The ends are now further bent into a vertical position to form legs 19 which terminate in hinge openings 20, operably received within the base frame on the ends of the wires 11a. The rear legs of the bed further extend at 21 and are secured to the corresponding vertical members 17.

A horizontal strut member 22 combined with the base 10 and vertical members 17, form the rear wall of the bed. The strut terminates in looped ends 23 which slidingly engage over vertical members 17. A further rod 24- is welded along the top of the strut 22 so that when the strut is in its upper position the top of the rod 24 will be in the same plane as the rails 16. Two stops 25 which may be formed by tapering or expanding the tops of members 17 are provided at the upper ends of members 17, to frictionally secure the strut 22 in an assembled position.

A draught curtain 26 is draped over rails 16 and strut 22 to provide a three sided protection wall to the bed frame 10. A mattress or cushion is placed on the bed frame as indicated by the broken line 27.

In operation, reference should be made to FIGS. 2 and 4 showing the bed collapsed. It will be noted that the legs 19 are raised parallel to the base frame, the strut 22 is received on the arcuate portion 18 of member 17, and the sides formed by members 17 and 16 are disposed parallel to the base, but displaced vertically, thus permitting the mattress 27 to remain within the folded frame. To erect the bed, the rails 16 are moved upwardly in an arcuate manner. This action causes the legs 19 to drop and rotate about their hinges 20 and permits the strut 22 to be raised by sliding up members 17 until retained in frictional engagement with stops 25. Further arcuate movement of the side walls 15 or the legs 19 is prevented by the strut 22, thus a rigid framework is established. A draught curtain may now be draped over the rails 16 and strut 22, and a cushion placed on the wire grill which forms the base 10, and the bed is ready for use.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood. However, since numerous modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the construction exactly to that shown and described, and accordingly, modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A collapsible bed for small animals, comprising a rectangular base frame in the form of a Wire grill, two side walls consisting of a top rail disposed parallel to the plane of the frame, vertical members projecting downwardly from each end of the top rail through the frame touching the inner corners formed thereby, said vertical members further eXtending beneath said frame in an arcuate manner to terminate in upwardly extending legs hingedly secured at their upper ends to horizontally disposed wires forming part of said wire grill, said wires being positioned parallel with the side of said base and disposed inwardly therefrom, said side walls and said legs being retained in a vertical position by a strut slidingly secured at each end to the vertical members of said side Walls, said legs spacing said frame from the ground when extended and lying in the same plane as the bottom of the frame When-in collapsed position. 1

2. A collapsible bed for small animals, comprising a rectangular base frame in the form of a Wire grill, two side walls consisting of a top rail disposed parallel to the plane of the frame, vertical members projecting downwardly from each end of the top rail through the frame touching the inner corners formed thereby, said vertical members further extending beneath said frame in an arcuate manner to terminate in upwardly extending legs hingedly secured at their upper ends to horizontally disposed wires forming part of said Wire grill, said wires being positioned with the side of said base in parallel relationship, and disposed inwardly therefrom, said side Walls and said legs being retained in a vertical position by a strut slidingly secured at each end to the vertical members of said side walls, and stops located at the tops of the vertical members to frictionally engage with the ends of the strut, thus retaining the strut in position, and a draught curtain draped over said strut and said top rails, said legs spacing said frame from the ground when extended and lying in the same plane as the bottom of the frame when in collapsed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,538,778 Halpin Jan. 23, 1951 2,781,936 Bitney Feb. 19, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 682,102 Great Britain NOV. 5, 1952 

